Any old timers still around?

[Lisa99 1]

I've talked some with Allergan about things they can do to improve overall patient experience. I think they're more focused on the newbies/pre-op (that's where the money is made), but I've suggested to them that if they want to build up resources for long-term patients, they might definitely want to address what it's like 5, 10 years down the road. Things are not the same.

I felt the same about my surgeon. He was great before surgery, not great afterward. He could be dismissive and he kept increasing his after care office fee. The last time I went just to see him for a checkup was $250.

It's interesting how many of us oldsters are having the same issues. This thread has confirmed for me that if the band ever has to be removed I'll convert to the sleeve.

[drew05 20]

Hey everyone! Just saw the email and thought I'd stop by and say hey. I'm currently sitting at 220, about 20 lbs from my goal weight, kind of like everyone else here. Doing incredibly well, and I couldn't be happier with my band. Hope everyone else is doing well!

[myturn0421 0]

I can honestly say, I've missed this site! I used to be here almost daily!

I'm scheduled for an EGD tomorrow to take a look at everything, I hope everything is OK, having issues getting stuck even though my band is empty. Both my hubby and I need to refocus, and start from the begining. He was banded May 2007 and I was Oct 2008. We are both about 50 lbs from our goals. I've already lost 60-70 (back and forth) and DH has lost 90-100!!!

I still wouldn't change a thing

[Wheetsin 714]

Oh yeah, weights. These are all -ishes, because I just really don't remember the specifics anymore.

Pre-op weight: 390s

Perpetually stuck at weight: 248

Lowest post-op weight: 220s

Current weight: 265

My goal: 190

Surgeon's goal for me: 210

190 ought to be a sz 10 or 12 for me. If I didn't have this droopy mess of skin, that is.

Lowest post-op weight was thanks to a drastic drop during my first trimester. That weight & I had a wild & crazy time together, and I thought we were meant to be, but he dumped me for some floozy.

[Wheetsin 714]

I felt the same about my surgeon. He was great before surgery, not great afterward. He could be dismissive and he kept increasing his after care office fee. The last time I went just to see him for a checkup was $250.

It's interesting how many of us oldsters are having the same issues. This thread has confirmed for me that if the band ever has to be removed I'll convert to the sleeve.

The surgeon is a bit of a sore spot for me. I understand things change, but you don't normally buy a Lexus and wake up to a Pinto. When I had my surgery, I selected my surgeon (in part) because he personally supervised aftercare, I adored his nurse, the facility wasn't too far away, appointments were easy to book, etc. His personality/bedside manner was never stellar, but I didn't care that much. Steady hands & procedural experience were much more important to me.

Now there's a PA who manages fills & complications. You don't even see the surgeon unless you're having surgery. Kinda makes since because of the whole SURGEON thing, but I really liked the idea that the surgeon maintained your care comprehensively. The nurse left, then last I heard came back in a different position, and some crazy wenches were manning the office. (As in, they would monitor patient activity here, and then pull you aside & criticize you when you came in for an appointment - for one example). The facility has moved twice. I don't even know where they are now.

sigh...

[myturn0421 0]

That sucks about the whole surgeon thing! I've been fortunate and my surgeon checks in me periodically. His nurse is still the same, and is still wonderful. Dr Beall still does all his adjustments and aftercare personally.

[Lisa99 1]

The surgeon is a bit of a sore spot for me. I understand things change, but you don't normally buy a Lexus and wake up to a Pinto. When I had my surgery, I selected my surgeon (in part) because he personally supervised aftercare, I adored his nurse, the facility wasn't too far away, appointments were easy to book, etc. His personality/bedside manner was never stellar, but I didn't care that much. Steady hands & procedural experience were much more important to me.

Now there's a PA who manages fills & complications. You don't even see the surgeon unless you're having surgery. Kinda makes since because of the whole SURGEON thing, but I really liked the idea that the surgeon maintained your care comprehensively. The nurse left, then last I heard came back in a different position, and some crazy wenches were manning the office. (As in, they would monitor patient activity here, and then pull you aside & criticize you when you came in for an appointment - for one example). The facility has moved twice. I don't even know where they are now.

sigh...

I can definitely relate. My surgeon's nurse was a wicked witch of the west clone. I've moved from Dallas to Vegas though so will be looking for a kinder, gentler experience with my next after care doc.

[voiceomt2002 4]

Hi Alex! I'm still around. I've had my ups and downs, including the death of my beloved husband. I gained about 30 lbs, sitting in that ICU room hoping and praying for the miracle that never came. It's been a struggle, but I've lost all but a few pounds of those I gained. Having a new job and no longer having the luxury of being a housewife made a huge difference. I'm still officially 50 lbs away from my goal weight, but I'm very pleased with my weight loss and the way I feel.

You see, my early struggles with my band saved my life. I quit smoking and began exercising as part of the regimen to be accepted by my surgeon for getting a band. In December 2010, my husband had a particularly bad mold invade his lungs. Aspergillosis is very contagious and very deadly, with a 95% mortality rate. Had I still been a smoker, there would have been two graves instead of one. I was healthy and fit, thanks to my band.

Strangely enough, my band had little to do with what has happened recently. A man I've known for years invited me to an outdoor event in February. While we enjoyed ourselves, he took me aside and begged my forgiveness, but he couldn't be silent any longer. He'd loved me for many years, but had respected my marriage too much to speak. He said he wouldn't expect me to answer for at least a year, but he hoped I might consider him as a new spouse after I felt ready to stop mourning. He placed a pearl ring on my finger as a vow that he would wait until I was ready to answer.

So, that's my update. Life goes on, even when Murphy throws you a curve ball.

Lena

[HeatherO 7]

Oh yeah, same here. Initially my band behavior was completely random. Then went to specific foods I couldn't do. Then add in routines with times of day that I can/can't tolerate foods. Then the hormones/TOM/etc. started to impact me, barometric changes, etc.

I have 0.25cc and sometimes day to day, week to week, month to month can range from being able to eat any food in any quantity, to being so clamped down that a sip of Water will leave me feeling oogie.

I'm starting to notice trends over long periods of time, so I may be tight for say 12 weeks, and then almost overnight I'll be loose for 8 weeks, then back to tight... and once baby came, forget it. I don't know what it is about pregnancy that seems to make "sweet spot" a thing of the past, but it definitely seems to be a frequent occurence.

Overall, I need a fill but I'm not getting one because I figure -- when it's bad now, it's pretty bad. That type of refluxing is so gross, painful & miserable... and so it trying to stay awake all night so it doesn't just keep happening. A fill is just going to make those bad times worse. So I'd rather try and deal with the lack of restriction during loose times, than have to sleep sitting up on the couch.

I've talked some with Allergan about things they can do to improve overall patient experience. I think they're more focused on the newbies/pre-op (that's where the money is made), but I've suggested to them that if they want to build up resources for long-term patients, they might definitely want to address what it's like 5, 10 years down the road. Things are not the same.

Now that you mention the baby thing . . . that is where all of the serious inconsistencies in my banded life began. I was almost a normal bandster prior to the birth of my daughter . . . after she was born I can't tell you from day to day how my band will react. Perhaps pregnancy does have an impact, that's for sure.

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Dang it Alex, I see oodles of replies to my post and think - Ok, people are feeling the Wheetsin love... and then I see it's all because of you, not me. Back to my low self-esteem and avoidant personality disorder.

Apple2, my daughter is perfect - of course! Granted, I'm a smidge biased. Seeing her grow & develop is definitely #1 on my list of amazing things - she surpises me and simultaneously breaks & mends my heart in new ways each day (like this morning, when she was exercising her Independent Girl muscles, and yesterday when the "room to grow" clothes we just bought were suddenly too small).

I've lost most of my pregnancy weight (umm, that includes a huge weightloss during my first trimester, that I "comensated for" in my 3rd trimester... but since they cancelled each other out I just pretend it didn't happen...hmm...), and have been maintaining pretty solid (and even dropping the occasional pound) for about 2 years now. Unfortunately I'm maintaining about 50 - 70 lbs higher than I want to maintain. So that's somewhere in the neighborhood of a maintained 120ish lb loss. Glad to have it gone, but want more.

I actually wanted to start researching VSG, which is how I re-happened upon LBT.

It says "Topic Starter" next to your name for a reason. I read your post and the rest is history......

It's really great to hear from all the "old timers"!

I had band slippage a few years back and had a revision. I've been at goal for a few years now and have pretty much stayed around the same weight, give or take 10 Lbs. I also find that the band is at times unpredictable. One day I'll feel restriction with certain foods and the next day I'll feel zero. Generally, I pretty much know what I can or can't eat and what causes me reflux or issues. I find that every bandster is pretty unique. Was a bit of trial or error until I found my sweet spot.

We have a sister site called VerticalSleevetalk.com that serves the Gastric Sleeve community. You can just log in with the your LBT username and password. No need to sign up again.

[bella5425 0]

Nice to see this thread, I was banded April 22, 2009. I have lost 170 pounds. I had major restorative dental surgery which made me super sick for about 6 months so I did powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury the whole time and that helped. I had a revelation of why I overate, an internal change to match the outside. I am back in college 23 years after the first round and majoring in Psychology with a 4.0. I grew up in a small town in Mississippi and I thought I overate because of a domineering mother, the pre-mature death of my dad when I was 3, a gradmother I was afraid of or the fact that I was adopted and felt very lost. The truth was, I was and am a lesbian and always have been. I always knew it but could never voice it. I grew up in a super religious household and there was no support, no nothing so recently I came out to my entire family, all of my friends of Facebook after I chopped about 200 insignificant people that never spoke to me and noone has said anything negative. I feel for the first time that the inside matches the out. I had lost 170 pounds but still looked in the mirror and couldn't see any changes, I was miserable. Once I came clean with my authentic self and didn't worry about the outcome or consequences, I could see the slimness of my face, the gentle curve of my body. I went from a size 30 to a 12/14, I have a great deal of excess skin so I really prefer a 14. I will be having plastic surgery once I get the final 20 pounds off. I have never regretted the band and feel amazing, truly. Thank you for allowing me to share.

Peace and Blessings......Katie

p.s. this picture is very old, only one month in, I had only lost about 17 pounds here

[mnn2501 0]

It has been a few years, just seeing who might still be around from the good ol' days.

Its good to see that a number of you have been successful.

Its been 3 years for me, 6 fills and I weigh 5 lbs less than I did when I started

I have restriction for the first bite or 2 of food and then the restriction goes away completly and I can eat anything. If I don't watch the first 2 bites I usually slime but after that -- anything goes.

Needless to say I am not happy with lap bands and am quite vocal about it to anyone who mentions lapbands.

Yes, it works for some people, but it doesn't for everyone. I wonder what the percentages are?

If I had it to do all over -- I wouldn't

[jenny 1]

i was wondering what HGC is and do you know if its safe with high blood pressure,

i googled it to see if i can get it here in australia but cant find any health cautions with it

[Desi80 1]

i was wondering what HGC is and do you know if its safe with high blood pressure,

i googled it to see if i can get it here in australia but cant find any health cautions with it

HCG is safe for people with HBP, however, they arn't miracle drops, you HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE to follow the diet that goes with it, which is a 500 calorie a day diet. I never tried it because I figured if i could follow a strict diet, I wouldn't be have ever had to get the band.

[jenny 1]

ta well i guess that leaves me out cos theres no way even with the band i could do that : (